Automatic stop for talking machines



Feb. 13, 1923.

J. MERSMAN. AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES.

FILED SAN-10.1922.

F/Ci/ FIG. 2

Patented Feb. 13, 1923.

JOSEPH MERSMAN, OF OTTAWA, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES.

Application filed January 10,, 1922. SerialNo. 528,156.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEri-I MERSMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the town of Ottawa, in the county of Putnam and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Stops for Talking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of my invention is to provide for phonographs, a new and useful automatic stop that is simple in construction, positive in operation and not likely to get out of order. My automatic stop effects an even and gradual termination of the playing of the record without the sudden jerk or snap that is characteristic of those stops in which thebrake-shoe is drawn into engagement with the brake-disc by a spring.

My invention enables the operator to accurately and easily set the stop for operation at a point where the needle will be directly over the last groove of the record. I 'have provided a friction arm which will, at that point, bear firmly against the lever carrying the brake-shoe. This shoe will at the same time engage the brake-disc, thereby fixing a positive point at which the friction arm on its return after the playing of the record, will again engage the lever that carries the brake-shoe and force it against the brakedisc to cause the motor to stop. The brakeshoe is drawn away from the brake-disc by aispring when the friction arm moves back.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of my automatic stopping mechanism. Figure 2 is a side elevational viewthereof. And Figure 3 is a detail View of the spring friction means.

Throughout the specification and drawings, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates the motor board of a talking machine to which is secured a motor 2. The numeral 3 desi nates the governor worm spindle on which is fixed a brake-disc 4 adapted to be engaged by a brake-shoe 5 secured on the end of a lever 6 pivotally secured at its middle portion by a pin 7 within the motor frame. The lever 6 has its other end bent toward itself, terminating in a turned-over tip portion that is adapted to be engaged by the outer end of a friction arm 8.

The numeral 9 designates an ordinary tone-arm mounted on a supporting shaft 10 which projects downwardly through a hole 1n the motor board 1. The lower reduced end 11 of this shaft passes through the foot portion 12 of a bracket 13 that is secured to the motor board 1.

Vertically movable on the lower.end 11 of the tone-arm supporting shaft 10,'is a collar 1% which may be tightly secured in an adjusted position on said shaft by a set screw 15. Resting upon the collar 14 is the horizontal portion of a clamping member 16, the upright part of thelatter having turned-over edge portions that provide 1ongitudinal grooves to receive a clamping slide 17 and in which the latter is freely movable.

The clamping slide 17 has a top horizontal portion between which and the lower ho-rizontal portion of the clamping member 16, there is a coil spring 18 which. encircles the lower end 11 of theKtone-arm'supporting shaft 10. This spring is adapted to turn with the shaft, so therewill be no reboundor snapping back of the spring, as in those cases Where a coil spring is wound up. Secured upon the tone-arm shaft 10immediately below the motor board 1, is a collar'19. Between the latter and the horizontal top of the clamping slide 17, the inner end of the friction arm 8 is secured upon the reduced portion of the tone-armshaft 10.

To offer frictional resistance to the turn ing movement of the arm 8 independently .of

placed the shaft 10, the coil spring 18 is under sufliclent tension by the collar 14 to cause it to exert an upward pressure upon the horizontal top of the clamping slide 17 The latter being free to move away from the clamping member 16, will be forced by the spring 18 against the arm 8 to offer frictional resistance to its turning movement, this frictional resistance being proportional to the tension'under which the spring is placed by the collar 14. For instance, when the collar '14 is moved along the shaft 10 toward the arm 8, the frictional resistance offered to its turning movement independent of the shaft 10, will be increased because of the greater compression of the spring, 18 between the clamping slide 1'7 and the clamping member 16. The arm. 8 should be held between the clamping slide 17 and the collar 19 with sufficient force to permit it to be turned by the shaft 10 to engage and move the outer end of the lever 6 far enough to cause the brake-shoe 5 carried by its inner end to press against and stop the rotation of the brake-disc 4:, which in turn will stop the rotation of the motor. (See. dotted lines in Figure 1.) This stopping of the motor will not be sudden or jerky, but will be gradual and easy, since the friction arm 8 is not rigidly secured to the tone-arm shaft 10, but is clamped thereon by the friction means heretofore described. Consequently, the brake-shoe 5 will yieldingly engage the brake-disc e to stop'the rotation of the latter gradually. Furthermore, should the tonearm be moved outwardly over the cabinet an undue distance, it will not be restrained in such movement by the engagement of the arm 8 with the wall of the cabinet, because the shaft 10 upon which the tone-arm is mounted is permitted to move independently of the arm 8 when the friction of the clamping members 17 and 19 has been overcome.

When the friction arm 8 is moved back to its starting position by the tone-arm supporting shaft 10, the brake-shoe 5 will be withdrawn from engagement with the brake-disc a by a spring 20 connected between the outer end of the lever 6 and the bracket 13.

It will now be seen that I have provided an automaticstop for phono-graphs which is simple in construction, positive in operation and one which effects an even and gradual termination of the playing of the record. The stop may also be easily and accurately set for operation at a point where the needle will be directly over the last groove of the record.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a talking machine, the combination with a motor, of a governor worm-spindle therefor, a brake-member mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft therefor, and means positively operated by the supporting shaft to yielding-1y engage said brake-member to stop the motor when the tone-arm reaches the end of its playing I movement.

2. In a talking machine, the combination with a motor, of a governor wormspindle therefor, a brake-member mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft therefor, a device adapted to engage said brake-member to stop the motor, a member adapted to force said device into frictional contact with the brake-member, and clamping means for frictionally securing said member to the tone-arm supporting shaft, whereby, when the tone-arm reaches the end of its'playing movement, it will have turned said member into yielding contact with the brake-member engagingdevice to actuate it to gradually stop the motor.

8. In a talking machine, the -combination with a motor, of a governor worm-spindle therefor, a brake-member mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft therefor, a lever, a brake-shoe secured to one end of said lever to engage said brake-meniher, an arm adaptedto engage the other end of said lever to force the brake shoe into engagement with the brake-member, and resilient clamping means for frictionally securing said to the tone-arm supporting shaft, whereby, when the tone-arm reaches the end of its playing movement, it will have turned said arm into contact with the brake-lever to cause the latter to carrythe brakeshoe into yielding engagement with the brake-member for the purpose of gradually stopping the motor.

4:. In a talking machine, the combination with a motor, of a governor worm-spindle therefor, a brake-disc mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft. therefor, a lever, a brake-shoe secured to one end of said lever to engage said brakeedisc, an arm on the tone-arm supporting shaft, adapted to engage the other end of said lever to force the brake-shoe into engagement with the brake-disc, a collar secured on said shaft above said arm, an expanding clamp on said shaft below said arm,and a spring adapted to press one end of said. clamp into yielding engagementlwith said arm to force it against said collar, whereby, when the tone-arm reaches the end of its playing movement, it will have turned said arm into contact with the brake-lever to cause the latter to carry the brake-shoe into yielding engagement with the brakedisc for the purpose of gradually stopping themotor. f p

5. In a talking machine, the combination with a motor, of a governor w'ormspindle therefor, a brake-member mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft therefor, a device'adapted toengage said brake-member to stop the motor, an arm on the tone-arm supporting shaft, adapted to force said device into frictional contact with the brake member, a collar fixed on said shaft above said arm, a clamping slidebelow said arm, a clamping member having turned over edges ad'apted'to loosely receive said clamping slide to, permit its vertical movement therein, a horizontal portion on the top of said slide adapted to engage said arm, a horizontal portion on the lower end of said clamping member, a spring surrounding said shaft betwecn the horizontal portion of the clamping slide and the horizontal portion of the clamping member, a collar on said shaft adapted to press; against the horizontal portion of the clamping meinber to compress saidspring sufliciently to cause it to press the horizontal portion of the clamping slide firmly against said arm, and means for holdingsaid-collar in an ad justed position on the shaft, Y

6. In a talking machine, the combination with a motor, of a governor worm-spindle therefor, a brake-member mounted on said spindle, a tone-arm, a supporting shaft therefor, lever, a friction device secured to one end of said leverto engage said brakemember to stop the motor, an arm adapted to engage the other end of said lever to force the friction device into engagement with the brake-member, resilientelamping means for friotionally securing said arm to the tone-arm supporting shaft, whereby, when the tone-arm reaches the enrol of its playing movement, it will have uirneel sairl arm into contact with the brake-lever to cause the latter to carry the friction device into yielding engagement with the brakemember for the purpose of gradually stop ping the motor, and a spring secured to said brakeiever to withdraw the friction device from engagement with the brake-member when the tone-arm is returnedto its starting position,

In testimony whereof i have hereunto set rny hancl this 4th day of January, 1922.

osnrn MERSMAN.

Witness 5 e HOWARD S. SMITH. 

